The Lamerton Workhouse Orphanage

by S G Read

  ‘Gone to lessons, we are sharing the job so that we can both be teached.’ Norman answered.

  ‘The word is taught Norman but I understood what you meant.’

  ‘Taught.’ Norman repeated.

  ‘That is it, well done. Are you warm enough?’

  ‘Are you larking?’ Norman declared. ‘It is boiling here.’

  ‘I’ll take that as a yes then.’ Andrew replied and went inside.

  He spent some time making drawings of the new houses he wanted built but he was also thinking that, if Tavistock sent him any more children, he would need to make the orphanage bigger.

  He walked round the orphanage and imagined it with extra rooms and the best he came up with was to add rooms next to the parlour and their bedroom with rooms above. They would have two more rooms and the orphanage would have two more rooms upstairs. He went back inside and made more notes but this time on paper. He also wrote a letter to a manufacturer of steam engines, for information of their use and their cost effectiveness which he sent Tom to post.

  When Tom returned he had a letter with him for Andrew.

  Andrew looked at the hand and saw it was from his father. He walked into the parlour to read it in private. The first bit was his delight at the prospect of becoming a grandfather and how much Rosemary was pleased. The second part was on a more serious note, it explained about the death of one of his friends. Andrew read it and immediately thought of the sword. It was his friend’s ceremonial sword which he had won fair and square but now he thought that his friend’s parents might like it, to help remember him by. He resolved to ride to London with it and give it to them, as their son had been buried where he fell in battle on foreign soil.

  He left the open letter on the bureau and walked out to inspect everything on his way to see Beth upstairs. By now it was quiet in the wash room as all the washing was drying ready to be ironed but he still walked out to make sure Norman was not still outside. The fire was low in the well under the water tank and there was no sign of anyone so Andrew went back inside and up the stairs. Beth was reading a story and they were all there with the exception of Zeke, big William and the two girls who were at Lady Lamerton’s. The children listening, were all engrossed. They made room for him and he sat down on the side of a bed to listen with them all, until Beth reached the end.

  ‘Right you lot into bed.’ Ruth declared when Beth closed the book. ‘We have work to do tomorrow.’

  Andrew looked at some of the slates and it was obvious which ones belonged to the new comers but the rest had learnt, as these would eventually.

  He followed Beth down the stairs and into their parlour.

  ‘Had a letter husband?’ She asked looking at the open letter.

  ‘Yes wife. They are pleased with the forthcoming issue but there is also bad news, a friend of mine has fallen in battle and as the sword I won was his, I have decided to take it and give it to his mother.’

  ‘A kind deed from a kind man.’ Beth answered and settled in an armchair to read the letter. ‘I see that Rosemary is threatening to come out here and wish us the best personally.’

  ‘Yes but I will urge her to wait until nearer the time it is expected and then she could greet the little one when it makes its appearance.’

  ‘It would make more sense but I do not know if sense will prevail.’ Beth answered.

  ‘Should I wait until the new arrivals are settled in and there is no more running away?’

  ‘I think Martin has settled and they seem to look to him for decisions, why not ask him about it?’

  ‘I will do that first thing and see what he thinks; he will probably like that, to think his opinion matters.’ Andrew acknowledged.

  The evening was spent polishing the sword and scabbard ready to return it to the family of the dead soldier.

  Andrew was up early the next morning and went to look for Martin, who was already up and washing. Martin saw the gleaming sword in its scabbard as he walked over to him.

  ‘Good morning Martin.’

  ‘Good morning Mr McDay, is that a sword?’

  ‘It is I was looking after it for a friend who was a soldier, unfortunately he has fallen in battle and I am going to take it to London. Going to London will mean I will be gone for two weeks. Are your friends happy now?’

  ‘I was the only one not happy Mr McDay. No more whippings and nice food twice a day, what more could they want. Me I still had to run away and nearly killed my brother doing it.’

  ‘It might have been wise to take some clothes when you went.’ Andrew replied, wondering why they had not.

  ‘Running away is just a whipping, stealing they hang you for when you are one of us.’

  ‘What they take you to court?’

  ‘No not court, they just catch you and hang you to show the rest what it means to steal and run away.’

  ‘Not a nice place to be then.’ Andrew concluded and turned to go.

  ‘Mr McDay.’

  ‘Yes Martin.’ Andrew answered turning back, so as not to be rude and hoping to show that.

  ‘A friend of mine is going to be thrown out of Tavistock in two days time. If he comes by as I told him to, can he come in here?’

  ‘So he is sixteen in two days time?’ Andrew asked but knew that it was the answer. ‘Is he big?’

  ‘Bigger than me.’

  ‘He can stay until I get back and see what he works like, so make sure he pulls his weight. I can not afford to pay him but later on I might be able to employ him.’

  ‘If I see him I will call him in then, thank you Mr McDay.’

  ‘I hope I do not regret it Martin.’

  Andrew packed travel bag and saddled Hopscotch ready for his journey. Beth came to the door before she went up to start school.

  ‘Martin has a friend who is going to be sixteen in two days and therefore thrown out of Tavistock; I have said that if he does come by, he can stay here until I get back. I have sent a note to Mr Hodgson to come and look at the waterwheel as it is starting to weaken so he will probably be here while I am gone.’

  ‘I have two pistols very handy husband and as you know I am well able to use them.’ Beth replied.

  ‘That you are wife.’ He kissed her longingly, jumped on Hopscotch and rode out of the gate.

  Tom closed the gate behind him although it was no longer chained at all. Beth went back inside and up the stairs to teach. Bill arrived an hour later and spent time looking round the waterwheel and at the workings inside the mill.

  Andrew rode out and let Hopscotch run, there was nothing he liked better but with a long way to go he reined him down later on and made him walk for a while. Every time he let him run, he ran like the wind, as if it was no trouble and when he was reigned down, he complained in his own way but he did as he was asked. Just before dark Andrew saw an inn and decided to stop there for the night. The stable lad watched as Andrew unsaddled Hopscotch and made sure he was well cared for before he went into the inn.

  ‘If he is in the best of health when I come out in the morning there is a sixpence waiting for you.’ He said before he went into the in.

  The stable boy’s eyes lit up at the thought of sixpence. ‘I will treat him like my own horse sir.’ He replied and meant every word of it.

  Andrew sat down and ate a large meal and had his first beer in ages. When he had eaten he paid for the meal and the room, in case no one was up when he left and went up to his room.

  Bill wandered about making sure all was well at the orphanage now that Andrew was no longer there. He had no idea that Beth could shoot a pistol well, had he done so he may not have worried as much. Mary arrived later to make sure all was well, in Doctor Knight’s carriage. The doctor had come especially to see Tom but expected Andrew to be there. Tom was collecting Mrs Webber and Alfred so he was forced to wait but Ruth made sure he was well fed while he waited.

  Mary checked all the children’s clothes, to make sure she did any running repairs before the tears grew too big to manage. S
he was not as good as Mrs Webber but she did the repairs for nothing, whereas Mrs Webber charged. The fifteen new comers had their new clothes now and those that worked needed checking for tears. Mrs Oldray arrived with work for Mrs Webber and gave no signs of leaving, in fact the whole place was a hive of activity until early evening when all the visitors went home and the washing was finished. Tom had spent some time with Doctor Knight and the doctor had examined his leg very closely. Taking measurements and making Tom turn it hither and thither just to see how it was. So much so that it was aching when he took Mrs Webber and Alfred home and he was glad when he could sit it the stable and rest it.

  Martin found him sitting there.

  ‘I have seen Mr McDay about a friend of mine who might come by this way.’ Martin said earnestly.

  ‘Tomorrow isn’t it Martin?’ Tom answered with out getting up.

  ‘So he told you?’

  ‘He did but I will not know who I am looking for so you will be out here with me for the day.’

  ‘What do you do all day?’

  ‘I muck out the horses, groom the horses, open the gate to let people through and generally keep my eye out for things. The washing usually arrives in the morning and they take what is washed if they have some to take away. Any not collected, I deliver in the cart leaving Lorna working in the stable and watching the gate. Tomorrow you will do it when I am gone and until your friend turns up.’

  ‘The things I do for my friends.’ Martin complained and Tom laughed.

  Andrew was up early and riding like the wind, after giving the sable boy his sixpence for looking after Hopscotch well. He spent the day travelling like the previous day until he decided to stop at an inn for the night. Again he made sure Hopscotch was well cared for, before he went in to eat and have his second beer for a long time.

  The orphanage started the same as most days with the exception that Martin was now in the stable with Tom, until Tom had to deliver some washing in Tavistock. Tom left him to work in the stable and to watch out for his friend. He had no idea what his name was, as in the orphanage at Tavistock they were called boy or girl, not even numbered. Tom delivered the washing and started back in time to see a young man walking along in threadbare clothes with nothing with him but what he wore. He stopped the cart next to him even though he was not supposed to give people a ride.

  ‘Where you of to then?’ He asked when the boy caught him up.

  ‘Don’t rightly know.’ The boy answered. ‘I have a friend who is at the next orphanage and he said I should stop by when I went past but I don’t know if I should.’

  ‘Is his name Martin?’

  ‘I don’t rightly know we were all called boy or if we were a girl, girl: If we use a name we were whipped.’

  ‘Come on I am going right past where you want and I’ll drop you there.’

  The boy climbed on, grateful for the rest from walking.

  Martin received the surprise of his life when Tom came back with a passenger, the very person he was waiting for.

  He pulled into the orphanage with the passenger looking quite worried until Martin appeared.

  ‘Hello boy.’ Martin called. ‘You made it then.’

  ‘Yes boy I did.’ He answered and jumped off the cart.

  ‘This is Tom and here you can call me Martin boy. You can use your name here if you want.’

  ‘I don’t rightly know what it is any longer Boy.’

  ‘Martin.’ Martin said firmly.

  ‘Martin.’ The passenger replied and smiled.

  ‘You should have your papers with you and it should have your name on it.’ Tom declared.

  ‘I can’t read.’ The passenger replied.

  ‘Mrs McDay will soon teach you.’ Martin exclaimed. ‘She is even teaching me to read.’

  ‘But I am too old to even be inside there.’ The passenger replied pointing at the orphanage door.

  ‘I asked Mr McDay and he said you could stay until he gets back from London.’ Martin declared. ‘So come on inside and meet everyone.’

  ‘Are you allowed to talk in here then?’

  ‘Of course, this is nothing like the other place, we even get proper food!’

  ‘What not gruel?’

  ‘No; no gruel here we have meat most days, only Mr McDay has trouble affording it according to Sarah, she is clever is Sarah. He has to buy the meat he can afford so I don’t know where it comes from but it is meat.’

  ‘They won’t feed me though, will they?’

  ‘Come in and find out.’ Martin declared starting to get worked up and dragged him inside.

  Ruth appeared from the kitchen when the door slammed shut after them.

  ‘Is this him?’ She asked.

  ‘Yes Mrs Fearon.’ Martin answered.

  ‘He looks hungry, are you hungry?’

  The young man nodded.

  ‘Come into the kitchen and sit down and I’ll feed you, Martin you still have the stables to muck out.’ Ruth said firmly.

  ‘Oh yes. This is all your fault.’ Martin complained as the young man sat down and went out to continue his new duties.

  When Ruth put a plate of food in front of him with pieces of meat in it the young man ate it quickly after making sure it was his to eat. The plate was empty very quickly and made Ruth comment.

  ‘You will give yourself belly ache if you eat that fast. No one will steal it; not here.’

  ‘Sorry I was hungry. What should I do now?’

  ‘Go and see Henry and he will give you something to do.’ Mrs Fearon did not think about his not being able to read and he did not ask how to recognise Henry. He walked out of the kitchen and walked around watching others working in nice clothes and looking like they were enjoying it. When he saw Bill come in from outside he assumed this was Henry and walked over to him.

  ‘What should I do?’ He asked.

  ‘Are you the one from Tavistock?’ Bill asked.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well you look tall enough to help me with the waterwheel so come and help me carry some wood through.’

  The young man followed Bill to his cart and helped him carry a long plank through the wash room and out into the garden to where Bill had his trestles set up. They laid the plank on the trestles and Bill walked round to the waterwheel with the young man following as he had nothing else to do.

  ‘What does this thing do?’ The young man asked.

  ‘Well… what is your name?’

  ‘I was called boy at Tavistock but then all the boys were called boy. I have this paper.’ The boy reached into a little pouch and pulled out a creased piece of paper.

  Bill took it and uncreased it before unfolding it to read what it had on it.

  ‘Your name is James Mason, so I shall call you James from now on.’ He gave him back the sheet of paper after neatly folding it. ‘Look after that piece of paper, it is important. Do you see the wooden boxes on the wheel James?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well the top one fills with water and the weight of the water moves it down so that the next one fills up. When the top one reaches the bottom it goes under the wheel and empties out so the water makes the wheel go round.’

  ‘So the bigger the wooden boxes the faster it goes?’ James asked.

  ‘I don’t know about faster but it would certainly make it stronger.’ Bill admitted thoughtfully.

  ‘So are you replacing them all?’

  ‘No only the boxes which are leaking out too much water as it is struggling to do all which is asked of it.’

  ‘Surely we should make them bigger as we do them.’ James declared.

  ‘No it would not work smoothly, we either put them all this size or make them all bigger and I need Mr McDay’s permission to do that as it would cost a lot more money.’ Bill replied. ‘I suppose you haven’t had to deal with money in your life yet?’

  ‘No but I did find a penny on the road before Tom let me ride on the cart. Will that pay for the extra wood?’

  Bill laughed.
‘No James it will not. It would buy you one good meal in an inn but not a plank of oak. If you are staying here Mrs McDay will teach you how to read and write and how to count. Then you will know what your money will buy you.’

  ‘This is the first time I have had any money sir.’ James said quietly, slightly annoyed by the laughter but also not used to showing his annoyance for fear of being whipped.

  ‘The name is Mr Hodgson and I am sorry if I upset you by laughing, I was wrong to laugh but I do wish I could buy an oak plank for a penny.’

  They walked out to his cart and collected the plank of wood walking through the washhouse with it as it was the easiest way. They walked up the steps and laid it onto Bill’s trestles.

  ‘We measure it then cut it and I always measure twice so that I only have to cut once. You can waste a lot of wood the other way.’ Bill declared jovially.

  ‘Can I help?’ James asked.

  ‘As it so happens your help will be very useful as I have to tie myself into the harness, to make sure I don’t fall into the mill stream. If I need something you can pass it to me but first I will tell what everything is so you know what I want, when I ask for it.’

  Knowing that this young man had no idea what anything was he went through everything in his tool box and even went through the various types and lengths of nails so that he knew which nails were which when he wanted some. He put on the harness and measured then returned to the trestle to cut the wood and James watched with great interest.

  ‘Why do you miss the line?’ He asked when Bill was halfway through cutting and the line was still just visible.

  ‘The line tells me how long I want the cut piece, if I cut the line I shorten the cut piece by half the width of the saw blade.’ Bill answered surprised that James had spotted that. ‘You either cut to the line like this or you cut the line when it is a tight measurement.’

  James understood and when he came to the third cut Bill let James mark it and cut it. He looked at the cut piece of wood.

  ‘You have a good hand for cutting James, the cut is square and that is good for when you go to fit it.’